Alopecia & Gray Hair

Alopecia- a condition in which the result is loss of hair; baldness

-Alopecia occurs when the hair falls out but a new hair does not grow in it's place.

• Signs and Symptoms
• male patterned hair loss and small balding spots
• thinning or complete loss of hair at the hairline and top of the head
• female diffuse hair loss- a gradual thinning of hair especially on the top of the head; hairline usually stays the same.

Image of the beginning stages of Alopecia on a male

Image of Alopecia on a female

Causes

• poor nutrition

• medications/medical treatments
• disease (diabetes, lupus, etc.)
• hormonal changes
• hair treatments
• scalp infections (ringworm)
• trichotillomania- hair pulling disorder
• genetics
• physical and emotional stress

Prevention & Treatment

• medications that promote hair growth
• hair transplant surgery
• eating a nutritionally balanced diet
• avoid tight hairstyles (braids, buns, ponytails)

• avoid compulsive twisting, rubbing or pulling of hair

Alopecia Areata

• an autoimmune condition; occurs when the immune system mistakenly attacks and destroys healthy body tissue
• a condition that causes round patches of hair loss
• there are three kinds of alopecia:

1. alopecia areata- patches of hair loss
2. alopecia totalis- complete loss of scalp hair
3. alopecia universalis- total loss of all body hair

Gray Hair

• hair turns gray because as we get older, the pigment cells in our hair follicles gradually die
• when there are fewer pigment cells in a hair follicle, that strand of hair will no longer contain as much melanin and becomes transparent in color
• Every hair cell makes a little hydrogen peroxide, but over time he amount builds up. This buildup blocks he normal synthesis of melanin.
• Gray hair is caused when the follicle is unable to add color to the hair or when there is a lack of melanin in the body

Causes

• stress
• age
• heredity
• illness
• medication

Treatment

• dyeing and coloring